PARTNERS

OFFICE 2016

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As a small business owner, compliance represents a crucial part of your company's success. Part of this compliance deals not only with your company's financial
procedures, but your hiring procedures. If you do not verify your employees properly, you could end up with some serious penalties, especially since
the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has started looking at employers as a possible "root cause of illegal immigration."

To help keep your business in check, below we outline a few dos and don'ts for handling your employees' I-9s:

Do require Section 1 to be filled out on first day of work: Every new hire should start their first day by signing Section 1 of their
I-9. This act keeps any part of the procedure from getting delayed and/or forgotten altogether.

Do make sure employee documents are newest versions: The employee must provide certain documentations required by the I-9 and the ones
they bring must be updated and also adhere to the current list of acceptable documents. And of course, the documents must look genuine and devoid of
forgery.

Do hold onto the employee's I-9: You should keep these forms at least one year after their termination or three years after their hire
date, whichever comes first.

Do make a few copies of I-9: You are only required to do so in certain states, but it is still a good practice. Also, be sure to have
a few copies of the I-9 supporting acceptable documents.

Don't provide an I-9 before the job offer: If you do so, an unhired applicant could later use this fact to take legal action against for
discrimination.